I realize that I have never labeled any of my blogs "A Stellar Cafe" despite my blog being CALLED The Stellar Cafe. Well, here I sit in one of those stellar cafes.... here in Bologna, Italy. I am attending the Children's Book Fair once again. Part industry re-con trip and part "personal battery" recharge trip. It is already working. I arrived yesterday and slept from noon until midnight... and then unpacked - and slept another seven hours. I rarely sleep six a night. My body soaked it in like a dry sponge. As Shakespeare wrote:
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,I try to build in one of these recharge days into my trips so that I can begin the actual trip the next day - refreshed.
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast..."
I had a great cafe session today - and savored the cappuccino... noticing that in Italy they drink small amounts and take their time with them. I think they might be flabbergasted at the "Grande Tall" cafe lattes consumed by USA coffee drinkers. (Better ask for "cafe latte" in Italy - if you ask for just a latte you will be served hot milk!)
And coffee to go? In big paper cups? I have not seen it here. I imagine they'd look at you like you're a bit crazy - which I think we are in the USA. We've gone nuts.
The greed for things we don't need - or things that don't even exist (look at the banking industry buying and trading people's money in things that did not exist!) - it feeds us, stuffs us, but I am sure it is not nourishing us.
We need to slow it down.
Do more with less. Sip slowly.
Feast on conversation.
Feast on the sight of a cup of coffee
gleaming in the sun
in a stellar cafe.
Ciao for now,
Peter
Bologna, Italy 2009
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4 comments:
Those last six lines are truly words to live by. As I sit in my kitchen, sipping my slightly over-brewed coffee, I find myself feeling a tinge of jealousy over your current location.
Next year I will be there with you for sure. -- Paul
Enjoy! The sun even looks Italian in your photograph. My favorite breakfast during the first part of my year abroad was getting a cafe latte and an "elephant ears" pastry to dip. Yummmmm....
As far as your post titles - I wouldn't add "A Stellar Cafe" to every title. Imagine if I added "Soccer Mom in Denial" to every one of my posts? So you are correct - your blog is titled "A Stellar Cafe" and the posts on your blog should have their own titles.
I honestly totally remember thinking as a kid that I would spend my entire life asking questions; I couldn't fathom that there would ever be a day where I could actually SAY something, offer up a statement or opinion.
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